Gundam: A Gundam Enthusiast's Journey with a Mecha Girl

However, the forceful throwing of the broken ball caused a brief pause in its movement, and the G-Bomber, which had been flying high in the sky under El's control, was waiting for this moment.

The Phantom Beam Cannon on the nose of the aircraft was already fully charged, and the high-energy red and white beams shot straight at the cockpit that had been seized.

However, enhanced humans whose perception and reaction abilities have been amplified by drugs are not so easily shot down.

Qiangduo immediately stopped his attack, making a violent side turn so that the beam of the Elf Beam Cannon grazed his body, avoiding a fatal blow.

However, the beam of light showed no signs of slowing down, and the forbidden figure was positioned directly on the axis of the beam.

Shani revealed a sickly smile, diverting the forbidden energy towards the armor and concentrating it in front.

He was to intercept the beam and then precisely deflect its trajectory toward the core fighter's direction of travel, allowing the enemy to take him out with their own fire.

However, he forgot that the Elf Beam Cannon has a similar ability to the Energy Deflection Armor.

Just as the beam of light was about to make contact with the forbidden energy deflection armor, it suddenly bent downwards and struck the sea surface beneath the forbidden armor.

In an instant, the high-energy beam evaporated the seawater, and the water vapor turned into a thick white fog that obscured the forbidden view.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the G-attack aircraft approached at high speed from directly behind Forbidden. However, Shani noticed this movement in time, and Forbidden quickly turned around, protecting its front with two energy deflection armor plates.

However, contrary to his expectations, the G attack aircraft did not fire. Instead, it transformed back into the upper body of the S Gundam in mid-air, extending two mechanical arms to firmly restrain the two energy-deflecting armor plates.

"court death!"

Shani roared.

The S Gundam's movements did indeed lock the energy towards the armor's orientation, but the Forbidden Front still had a Ghast Plasma Cannon available.

High-energy particles rapidly converged at the muzzle, and the upper body of the S Gundam was about to be reduced to ashes upon impact.

But he didn't have a chance to pull the trigger. While he was focusing all his attention on the front, the G-Bomber that he had left behind fired the Spirit Beam Cannon again. The energy deflection armor was still firmly locked in front by the upper body of the S Gundam, and it was unable to turn around in time.

The beam pierced through Forbidden's waist precisely, and the resulting explosion instantly engulfed Forbidden's cockpit.

Until the Forbidden Gundam was shot down, Kurot, who was focused on chasing the Core Fighter, did not notice the situation of his teammates.

The stimulation of the drugs had shattered his rationality, and his body was becoming increasingly agitated.

Piloted by Raven, the core fighter repeatedly dodged the barrage of bullets raining down on the enemy. Meanwhile, the G-Attack and G-Bombers, having already eliminated the forbidden attack, caught up from behind the enemy and used several beams to drive away the relentless pursuer. Raven seized the opportunity to combine the three fighters, which docked in mid-air and transformed back into the S Gundam form.

"Annihilation! Explosive annihilation! Instant kill! Ahahahaha!"

Kurot muttered words whose meaning he no longer recognized, the drug's effects constantly stimulating his nerves, making him increasingly frantic.

Qiangduo hurled a Shattering Ball at the S Gundam, while the glow of the Fury Energy Cannon in its mouth began to condense at the muzzle.

Raven calmly drew his beam saber, splitting the thrown shattered ball in two, while the Spirit Beam Cannon in his right hand was already fully charged.

The Fury Energy Cannon slashed past the S Gundam's face, burning out the V-shaped antenna on one side, while the Spirit Beam Cannon precisely pierced through the captured cockpit.

Kurot eventually died without pain.

Meanwhile, just as Raven had predicted, Kira and Athrun, after being briefly suppressed, quickly regained the initiative, and the two worked together to shoot down the four Killer Daggers one by one.

-----------------

"Those few good-for-nothings!"

Upon seeing the complete annihilation of the enhanced humans and special training troops, Azrael's face turned extremely grim. A low-pressure atmosphere enveloped the bridge of the flagship, and no one dared to utter a sound.

The fleet commander, standing behind Azrael, swallowed hard, mustered his courage, and whispered his suggestion in a trembling voice.

"Director, the battle situation is not going well right now, and the East Asian fleet is almost here. Wouldn't it be better for us to retreat?"

"retreat?"

Azrael turned around and stared coldly at the fleet commander.

"Do you want me to slink away with my tail between my legs like a clown, amidst the laughter of those Orb people and East Asians?"

"No, I had absolutely no such intention! It's just that, judging from the current battlefield situation..."

The fleet commander glanced instinctively at the horizon to the northwest, where the outline of the East Asian fleet could already be faintly seen.

"No, we absolutely cannot leave the Mass Accelerator to Orb and East Asia."

Azrael recalled the battle report he received from Victoria a few days ago. The Third Victoria Campaign was turning in favor of the Combine. So even if they didn't get Orb's mass launcher, the Combine would still have a mass launcher to use.

In that case, there's no need to keep Kaguya Space Port.

"Go! Give the order to launch all the remaining cruise missiles. Target: Kaguya Mass Launcher!"

"director?!"

The fleet commander's face turned deathly pale instantly, and he looked at Azrael with suspicion and uncertainty.

"What are you waiting for? If you don't give the order soon, I'll dismiss you!"

The fleet commander's lips trembled a few times. Looking at Azrael, who had completely gone mad, he could only bite the bullet and give the order.

"All fleet, listen to my command..."

-----------------

Thanks to the efforts of Raven and his men, the Atlantic Federation's offensive was completely suppressed, and in the distance, the outline of the East Asian Fleet had appeared on the horizon.

The outcome is decided.

Just as Raven was thinking this, in the distance, cruise missiles, trailing white plumes, were launched from the missile silos of destroyers and cruisers.

Raven's premonition began to frantically alert him.

"No, those missiles are heading towards the mass accelerator!"

The S Gundam quickly ascended to high altitude, unleashing all its weapons simultaneously.

Behind them, Freedom, Justice, and Phoenix Strike followed closely, all four Gundams' cannons aimed at the rapidly approaching swarm of missiles.

"This number is far more than just a hundred!"

Mu's tense voice came through the communication channel; with so many missiles, it was almost impossible to intercept them all.

"No matter how many, we absolutely cannot let them destroy the mass accelerator!"

The S Gundam's four beam cannons and spirit beam cannon entered rapid-fire mode, and the four Vulcan cannons on its head also opened fire.

Freedom, justice, and the Phoenix Assault team unleashed all their firepower.

Beams, railgun projectiles, and Vulcan cannons intertwined in the air to form a dense fire net, and a barrage of bullets intercepted the incoming cruise missiles. The continuous flashes of explosions illuminated the sky above Kaguya Harbor.

The remaining number of cruise missiles was rapidly decreasing. Under the tense gaze of everyone, the last cruise missile was intercepted by a precise beam of light just a dozen meters away from the mass accelerator.

As the smoke slowly dissipated, the Kaguya Mass Launcher stood unharmed on the coastline of Orb.

Chapter 84: The Prologue to Destruction (Part 2)

Before the East Asian Fleet arrived at Kaguya Port, the Archangel had already recovered four Gundams and used the Mass Accelerator to enter space.

The Kusanagi followed closely behind, and the two ships merged in near-Earth orbit. The Kusanagi needed to receive supplies from the Orb Space Station's Ame no Mihashira here and complete its final assembly.

To discuss their next move, Colonel Kisaka brought Cagalli to the bridge of the Archangel.

"Thank you all for your assistance to Orb."

Colonel Kisaka straightened up and saluted the crowd gathered on the bridge. Cagalli stood beside him and saluted in return.

Both Kisaka and Cagalli were well aware that Orb was able to hold out until the end because of the valiant efforts of the crew of the Archangel.

Moreover, in the final moments of the battle, when the enemy recklessly launched all their remaining cruise missiles at the Kaguya Mass Accelerator, it was Raven and the other pilots who accomplished the almost impossible.

With just four Gundams, they intercepted a barrage of hundreds of cruise missiles, saving the vital Mass Accelerator from the Atlantic Federation Fleet's frantic efforts.

"Preparations for the Kusanagi will be completed soon. Has His Excellency Halbarton given any instructions regarding future operations?"

After the greetings, Chisaka got straight to the point.

"Next, we're heading to L4. Lux... PLANT's Klein faction has already built an operations base there. We can rest there for a while, and the remaining repairs on the Archangel can also be carried out there."

Raven reached out and pulled up the space map, marking the route to L4 space.

"L4? Not going to the moon?"

Cagalli tilted her head slightly and asked in a questioning tone.

Halbarton's troops are stationed on the moon, so why go all the way to L4?

"After all, our Archangel is still officially a deserter ship of the Earth Alliance, and Lord Halbarton is not the head of the Space Force. There are some things that cannot be done too obviously."

"It's that adult thing again..."

After hearing Raven's explanation, Cagalli muttered under her breath, her tone full of impatience with this roundabout politics.

"In short, that's it for our next move."

Raven shifted his gaze from Cagalli's face to Athrun, who stood quietly beside Kira.

"So, Aslan, what are you going to do next? In Orb, we are fighting the Atlantic Federation's army, but next, we may have to fight the ZAFT forces. I hope you understand that."

“Aslan…”

Kira and Cagalli spoke almost simultaneously, their eyes filled with the same concern.

Among the people gathered on the bridge of the Archangel at this moment, the one in the most awkward position was Athrun.

“You are a PLANT member, and also Patrick Zala’s son. While I understand your feelings, it’s best to sort things out as soon as possible. If your final decision is to return to ZAFT, I won’t stop you, but the next time we meet on the battlefield, I will treat you as an enemy.”

Before Athrun could speak, Cagalli stepped forward and stood in front of him.

"Wait, Mr. Raven, does it matter whose son this is? Athrun is Athrun himself!"

"Cagali".

Kira grabbed Cagalli's arm.

"Teacher is only saying this for Aslan's sake. If you don't have a firm belief in your heart, continuing to appear on the battlefield will only cause you pain."

Athrun looked at Kira and Cagalli, knowing that they were both caring for him in their own ways.

'Indeed, these two people really do look alike.'

Aslan reaffirmed this idea in his heart.

However, just as Raven said, it was indeed time for him to confirm his own thoughts.

"I……"

In Athrun's mind, his father's words, Lacus's words, and Kira's words were mixed together, and what PLANT and Orb had seen and heard appeared before his eyes like a slideshow.

Those who suffer because of war, those who are numb because of war, those who are alienated by war and turned into tools, and even the justice that used nuclear energy technology that should have been sealed away...

He had to admit that the war had deviated from its original objective and turned into a massacre aimed at completely annihilating the enemy.

“I think we share a common vision for the future. Both PLANT and Earth have shed far too much unnecessary blood in this war, to the point that it’s driving us to the brink of madness. To prevent the worst from happening, I will act alongside you.”

"Athrun!"

Cagalli happily stepped forward and put her arm around Aslan's shoulder without any hesitation. The sudden proximity and the scent of the opposite sex made Aslan's cheeks flush red instantly.

Kira stood to the side, watching his friend make his decision, a warm smile appearing on his lips.

"However, after we reach L4, could you lend me a shuttle? I want to go back to PLANT to confirm my father's thoughts."

-----------------

At the same time, the Kruse team, having received orders to return home for rest and recuperation, boarded the Vesalius and slowly sailed into the spaceport of Aprilius I.

But as soon as the Vesalius came to a stop, soldiers who had been lying in ambush appeared from all sides of the dock and, without any explanation, took control of the entire Vesalius.

Artis stared in disbelief at the gun barrel pointed at his chest. An officer with an unfriendly expression asked in a cold and ruthless tone.

Where did Rau Le Creuset go?

"Captain Kruze received a secret order from the Speaker himself on the return voyage and disembarked when passing the Jakin-Duve Fortress. Furthermore, which unit are you from? Detaining active-duty ZAFT soldiers without cause is a serious crime punishable by a military court! If you cannot provide me with a sufficiently reasonable explanation, I will absolutely…"

However, after receiving confirmation that Kruze was not on the ship, the officer did not listen to another word from Artis. He quickly exchanged information with his subordinates who had finished searching other areas, and after confirming that Kruze was indeed not on the ship, he hurriedly left with his soldiers without leaving any further explanation.

"Those bastards, I'm going to report them to the authorities! Someone, call Yzak, Diego, and Nicol over here!"

Although Artis usually had a lot of headaches because of these three young masters, at this moment, their status as the sons of members of the Supreme Council became an asset to Artis.

"Just you wait, you bastard!"

-----------------

Yakin-Duve Fortress, MS Maintenance Area.

When Kruse received the abrupt order to return home for rest and recuperation, he keenly sensed something unusual.